New Milwaukee ICE facility, records detail plans for northwest side

New Milwaukee ICE facility, records detail plans for northwest side

ICE is getting ready for a move to a space on Milwaukee's northwest side.

MILWAUKEE - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is getting ready for a move across Milwaukee.

Lake Park Drive

What we know:

Construction crews are transforming an empty office space on Lake Park Drive, near 107th and Bradley on the city's far northwest side. Records reveal the city granted an occupancy certificate to ICE for a "government office and public safety facility."

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In the application for occupancy, the contractor lists the proposed days and hours of operation as: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The application said the space would not serve or prepare food.

FOX6 News obtained other records that show a proposed security fence with black privacy slats. The fence application said it would be 8 feet tall with anti-climb mesh.

Documents related to planned ICE facility on Lake Park Drive

‘Processing of immigrants’

Dig deeper:

In January, FOX6 obtained other documents that showed a plan had been in the works since at least Spring 2023. Those documents said the federal government would use the space for the "processing of immigrants," and ICE said at that time there were no plans to use the space for detention.

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Documents said the space would be for non-detained people checking in, as well as the processing of detainees who are headed to detention facilities. Plans showed building security entrances typically used for transporting people in custody.

Also in the trove of city records, FOX6 learned the building might house more than ICE. Documents revealed the city approved a suite remodel for Veterans Affairs.

On the move?

What's next:

FOX6 News asked ICE when it plans to move into the Lake Park Drive space, but did not receive a response by the deadline for this story.

Back in January, groups protested outside the Lake Park Drive building and said they'll be back this weekend.

ICE currently works out of space that Milwaukee School of Engineering owns. MSOE has other plans for that Knapp Street building but said the federal government has not given them information on when ICE will leave the space.